Treating a patient (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health on August 21
allowed the distribution of 30,000 more vials of the Remdesivir to
treat COVID-19 patients in a number of localities.
Recipients include 11 hospitals, 12 departments of
health in cities and provinces consisting of HCM City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai,
Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Da Nang, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, Kien
Giang and Hau Giang, and the health division of the Military Medicine Department.
Earlier, 10,000 vials were distributed on August 8 for Ho Chi Minh City and a number of southern provinces. Another 30,000
vials of the drug were recently distributed on August 17 for 17 hospitals and
health departments in the south.
Remdesivir was the first antiviral drug approved by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October, 2020 for treating COVID-19 patients. It
has the ability to shorten treatment times and speed up recovery for critically
ill patients.
The drug has been approved and authorised for use in
approximately 50 countries worldwide. It is now one of the world’s leading
specialised drugs.
On August 2, with the ministry’s guidance, conglomerate Vingroup
had successfully negotiated for 500,000 vials of from Indian
pharmaceutical company Cipla under licensing agreement from US-based Gilead
Sciences. The first batch arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM
City on August 5./.
Source: VietnamPlus
